The Last Wolf: An Unexpected Journey (A Middle Earth Fanfic)
by Stardust1974
Summary: Anju is the last of her kind and has just been abandoned by her love. Determined to make it on her own and prove her worth to him, she finds herself in a strange new situation. When her love returns, can she bring herself to return to him, or will she choose her new life and fulfill her destiny? (Serious romantic fanfic with some humor and violence.)
1. Chapter 1

**To the readers who enjoyed my Breakfast Club story, I apologize. I know you guys were excited for a sequel but I am not as in love with John as I was when I wrote the story. Unfortunately, the sequel will be put on hold until I can find more inspiration. Feel free to give any feedback you deem necessary. In the mean time, please enjoy a story I've been day dreaming about for some time. I've always loved the Hobbit, and now I feel like I can put this tale into words. Enjoy, and as always, reviews are greatly appreciated.**

 **Chapter One:**

 _Mithrandir._

The memory of the grey cloaked Istari engulfed her. It had been ages since she had last saw, but every one of his features had been as familiar as yesterday. His ice blue eyes, his long grey hair and his wrinkled, sun kissed skin, time had not been kind to him, but she loved him still.

 _It was near dusk. The armies of men and elves had used every last bit of their resources to fight off the dark lord, Sauron. And finally, Isildur, prince of Gondor, brought down the evil being by cutting the ring of power from him. Though it did not show on her face, she watched the battle from a cliff anxiously, Mithrandir by her side._

 _"_ _So it is done." He wore a hysteric smile without facing her._

 _"_ _Sauron may be gone, but this is not over. The ring will only bring trouble." She scoffed back at him, her eyes never leaving Isildur._

 _"_ _Yes…yes…" he sighed sadly before turning to her, "And that is why I have to leave you."_

 _"_ _What?" she spun around, shocked._

 _"_ _Anju…" he spoke her name gently as he placed a hand on her cheek, "This war is bigger than us, and many things have to come to pass before we can live in peace again. I have many a part in this, and that is why I must leave. Even you will have a part in evil's end, but not for a long time."_

 _"_ _You promised me that we would always be together…you're all I have…" her voice was shaky as she looked back into his clear blue eyes._

 _"_ _I'm sorry, my dearest love, for I fear I have lied to you. I knew all along that this day would come, but I wanted you by my side still. I was selfish. I will never expect you to forgive me, but I do want you to honor this parting by doing me one favor." He explained._

 _"_ _How dare you?" she growled, anger now replacing her sorrow._

 _"_ _Please, Anju, just promise me that you will survive. At least long enough to fulfil your destiny." he almost begged. She clicked her tongue in disgust._

 _"_ _Sauron himself could barely mame me. I know not why you worry."_

 _Mithrandir smiled at this._

 _"_ _We will see each other again one day. Do not lose hope."_

 _Before she could say another word, he pulled her into him and kissed her passionately. She melted into him, trying desperately to hold onto everything about him, but in a moment of a breath he was gone._

No, he would not come to save her. No one would. Though her mind was aching she was left with nothing but her wits and her bare hands. Bare hands that would barely do her any good. She didn't know what it was, but the guards forced her to drink something that prevented her from using her full power. That was the only reason she was still stuck.

"Curse those god damned elves!" she growled and kicked at the bars of her cell, "CURSE YOU THRANDUIL!"

Her voice echoed through the dungeon but no one answered. She huffed a black strand of hair out of her face as she crossed her arms. How was she going to get out of here?

Some time had passed, though she wasn't sure how much, and soon a group of guards appeared. All of them were tall, pale males, two blondes in golden armor and one brunette in a loose red tunic and tight black pants. The blondes stood dominant and proper, but the brunette swayed a little, clearly inebriated. The blonde on the left spoke first.

"The Lord will see you now." His tone was void of emotion.

"You can tell that fairy of a man that I'll pass." Anju stood and gripped the bars of her cell hatefully, her deep green eyes narrowing.

"I'm afraid you have no choice." The other blonde guard almost groaned, "Come on now."

The drunk elf moved forward to unlock the cell and Anju let out a primal growl before both armored guards wrestled her to the ground. She tried to fight back, but her strength was gone and her hands were quickly restrained behind her back before she could do much.

"Let's go!" one of the blondes spat.

And with that, they lifted her off the floor and dragged her out of the dungeon.

Thranduil, King of the Woodland Elves, looked almost like a dream. He was tall and pale and beautiful, as most elves were, but he carried an air about him that reeked of royalty and importance. He sat before her on his magnificent throne of branches, cloaked in silver robes with a leafy regal crown perched over his shimmering golden hair. His ocean blue eyes lit up when he saw her and he sat up straight.

"Truly, what a sight to see! The last wolf, in the flesh!" his voice was thick with exaggerated excitement.

"What is the reason for this?" she snapped.

"Now now, no need to get all riled up." He waved her off dramatically.

"Let me go!" she demanded and tried to free herself from the grasp of the guards, but they held on tight. Thranduil chuckled, amused by her fire.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I won't allow you to get in my way."

"Get in the way of what?" she barked.

Thranduil flew down from his throne and got inches away from her face, clearly about to lose it, but Anju didn't flinch. She inched closer to him, their noses almost touching, and bared her fangs.

"Do not act like you do not know!" he howled.

"I really don't." she shrugged casually, dismissing all his emotions. He backed away a little, suspicious.

"You expect me to believe that after all that time you spent with the wizard that he told you nothing of the prophecy?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Can't say it's ever come up in conversation."

Thranduil took a moment to mull things over.

"Very well. Still, you cannot leave. Weather you know it or not, your actions are inevitable and will only lead to my loss. I need my gems returned to me."

"Gems?" she rose her eyebrow curiously.

"White gems of pure starlight, passed down through my family for generations. They were stolen by dwarves-"

"Dwarves?" she laughed, interrupting him.

"Enough!" he snapped, "It matters not! All that matters is that you're staying here! All you need to concern yourself with is whether you want to stay her comfortably or remain a prisoner."

"What are you offering?" she asked, unimpressed.

"Legolas!" he called loudly.

In the blink of an eye, a green clad elf with golden hair and sapphire eyes appeared. He was young, but he was the spitting image of Thranduil. Legolas looked to her curiously, and when their eyes met she felt a small spark between them. Thranduil chuckled as he noticed this.

"So you like him?"

"I am fond of no elf." She glared at him.

"So you wouldn't enjoy being his bride?" Thranduil asked. Legolas looked away in embarrassment.

"Get to the point." She clicked her tongue, growing impatient.

"Legolas is my only son, heir to the Woodland Realm. Finding a suitable wife for him has proven to be quite difficult, but with your blood you would be the perfect suitor." He explained.

"Are you insane?" she hissed.

"Either you marry my son and live a life of luxury here or you rot in a cell. Your choice." His voice was a harsh whisper. Legolas looked to her, pleading, though she wasn't sure for what.

"I'll rot, thank you." She growled. Thranduil was shocked, but she stopped him before he could speak, "Allow me, your highness. Guards, take me away!"

Thranduil groaned in frustration, and with a wave of his hand he dismissed the guards. They dragged her back down into the dungeons without a fight.

"You're a fool you know." The guard said before he tossed her back into the cell.

"Foolish is the one who marries without love." She shrugged and turned her back to him. He rolled his eyes before turning to the inebriated elf.

"Lock her up." He ordered before leaving with the other blonde guard.

Anju saw an opportunity as the elf fumbled with the keys. Quietly, she nudged her foot into the cell door, moving it just enough so that he couldn't lock it, but the door would still look closed. The elf finally found the key and "locked" the door before turning to leave. Chuckling to herself, she waited for him to be completely out of sight before she slowly pushed the door open.

"Idiots." She mumbled.

Quiet as a mouse, she tiptoed throughout the corridors and tried to make sense of the maze before her. Every now and then she would spot a wandering elf, and she would have to turn back around to find a new path. It was mind numbing, but she couldn't give up. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she managed to find the giant, intricately carved front doors. Below her, two guards lay asleep. She braced herself to ambush them from above, but before she could leap she felt a hand grab her shoulder.

"Wait!"

She turned around swiftly only to see Legolas crouched next to her, and exasperated look on his porcelain like face.

"I was trying to free you, but it looks like you didn't need any help." He let out a small laugh.

"Why would you do that?" she raised her eyebrow.

"You're in love." he said as if it were obvious. When she didn't answer, he smiled. "It's all over your face. I know that look too well, for I too am in love. I'm glad you refused the proposal."

"No problem…" she groaned, almost offended. He put his hands up in protest.

"Not that you're not beautiful or interesting!" he quickly tried to back track, "It's just… both our hearts belong to others. It wouldn't be right."

She smiled and placed a hand on his cheek.

"You're right."

A moment of silence and understanding passed between them. In another life, they might have been perfect for each other, but in this life, they were destined to part ways.

"Right." Legolas suddenly said and looked down to the guards, "Time to get you out of here."

He maneuvered his way down to the guards and clapped his hands loudly.

"Hey…HEY!" he shouted.

The guards shot up from slumber and immediately fell to their knees once they realized it was Legolas.

"We're sorry M'Lord!" one cried.

"The night guards never came to relieve us. We've been up since before dawn!" the other whined.

"Leave, now! I'll take care of this." He ordered. They nodded and ran away as fast as they could. He then motioned for Anju to come down.

She leapt from the ledge gracefully and landed in his arms. He set her down gently.

"I guess this is farewell." He sighed.

"Thank you." She nodded and turned to leave.

"Oh wait, one more thing!" he held out his arm to stop her and she turned back around, "My father had the guards poison you with blood from a Mirkwood spider. That's why you can't use your powers, but I made you this. It's petals from a Mirkwood rose baked into bread. It will give you your powers back."

He grabbed her hand and placed the bread in her palm. She smiled as she accepted it.

"Lucky is the she-elf who is loved by you."

She leaned forward and gently planted a kiss on his lips in thanks. The prince blushed.

"Run now, you haven't much time." He smiled sheepishly.

"Farewell Woodland prince, I won't forget you!" she called to him as she dashed away.

As she ran, she inhaled the bread, and within moments she felt her strength return to her. She resisted the urge to howl with excitement, for although she had escaped it wouldn't take Thranduil long to realize she was gone. She needed to plan, fast, and get as far away from him as she could.


	2. Chapter 2

**I hoped you liked the first part. I was going to write out the whole story before I started posting them on here, but I was too excited, so here is the 2nd chapter. I will be working on the 3rd real soon. By the way, I wanted to point out that I am using the Scandinavian version of Anju so it is pronounced On-yew, for those of you who didn't know. Also, there is some pretty violent scenes in this chapter, so read at your own discretion. Enjoy!**

Chapter Two:

Mirkwood forest had always been dark, but at night it was more than impossible to see. Anju could only run so far before she had to slow down to keep from running into things. Long ago, the Mirkwood forest was a thing of beauty, but now, for reasons unknown to her, it lie in ruin covered in webs and nests made by spiders. She spat, disgusted, as she peeled some sticky web from her bare foot.

"I've had about enough of this." She groaned to herself as she tried to move forward, dodging more webs along the way.

Suddenly, her feet his cold stone and she winced in surprise. Looking down, she noticed that she had stumbled onto a path and the memory of Mithrandir's voice rang in her ears.

 _"_ _There is but one path through Mirkwood. Lose it, and you are lost forever."_

Anju scratched her head in annoyance. All she wanted to do was get back home, but it looked like that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. She took a moment to think. Straight West from Mirkwood was Rivendell, more elves but better than Thranduil. Elrond would not lock her up. If she just kept moving West, she would be able to get there just before dawn.

At first she did a great job of keeping on the path, but the more she breathed in the air, the sicker she got. She slowed down and swayed as she moved, finding it harder and harder to drag her body along. She looked down at her feet as she moved and noticed that even though she was moving forward, her feet were moving backwards. Frustration and confusion filling her, she fell to her knees to vomit.

Wiping her mouth, she looked to the canopy above her. There had to be a faster way out of here. She couldn't have lasted much longer. If only she could see where she was…

"That's it!" she yelped.

With the last of her strength she hurled herself onto a nearby tree and started to climb. Her arms began to ache, forcing her to claw at the bark just to be able to hold on. She groaned in pain as she pushed forward, and soon her head broke through the canopy.

She gasped, filling her lungs with as much fresh air as she possibly could. Almost instantly, the sickness had vanished, leaving nothing but a small headache to prove that it was there. She drank in more cool air before she looked at her surroundings. Behind her, the Lonely Mountain claimed by dragon fire towered ominously, and in front of her lie an open field about a mile or so away. She was going the right way; it was just going to take a great effort to get there. Sighing, she dropped back down into the forest.

Desperate not to let the sickness strike her again, she bolted down the stone path with tremendous speed. Trees and bushes and mounds of spider webs flew passed her as she used the last of her strength to break free of the forest. It paid off. At last, she had reached the edge of the wood.

Leaning herself up against a small tree, she took a moment to catch her breath and regather her thoughts. Just as she was about to start up again, she was overwhelmed by the sound of howls, horns and what sounded like a million horses beating their hooves on fresh ground. Instinctively, she hid herself behind a larger tree and waited for the commotion to pass.

"Deaavh avo avhe dwarveuk! DEAAVH AVO AVHE KIN RO OAKENUKHEILD!" a voice thundered from the open field.

Suddenly, a large horde of beasts riding snarling, wolf like creatures burst into her view and she gasped. The beasts were repulsive; rotting, grey and misshapen. Their eyes were grey and black slits, their teeth yellow and broken. Parts of their bodies were made from fragments of broken metal, solidified to their bodies with thick black blood. They were truly a sight to behold, and that's when Anju realized what they were.

Orcs.

She cringed at the thought. Orcs were foul creatures created by Melkor, the first dark lord, when he tortured every ounce of light from elves he had captured, turning them into the grotesque beasts that stood before her. Orcs were bred for war. They were stupid, but strong and fearless. Anju ground her teeth. Even at full strength, she was no match for an orc without a weapon, let alone and entire army. She needed to reconsider her options quickly, before any of them spotted her.

She was trapped between a rock and a hard place. She could face the orcs and be killed, or she could reenter the forest, succumb to the sickness and be captured by Thranduil once more. Frustrated, she chose the latter and bounded back into the forest. Once out of ear shot of the orcs, she howled angrily into the mist.

"MITHRANDIR!" she cursed him.

If he hadn't abandoned her all those years ago she would never be in this mess. Mithrandir never let harm come to her, even at his own expense. Foolishly, she had relied on this too much and was now handicapped by her dependency on his aide. She felt so stupid, she felt so hopeless, she felt so…

A large crack tore her from her thoughts, and when she turned around she saw a trio of giant, sickly spiders rushing towards her. They hissed as venom leaked from their mouths, their giant legs tapping on the ground like nails on wood.

Beyond angry, Anju threw herself at the closest one and began to ferally rip its eyes out. It swung and thrashed and tried to throw her off, but she hung on tightly, continuing to rip at its flesh with her claws. Its shrieks of pain filled the air of the forest, scaring its comrades away. Taking the shot, Anju thrust her hand deep into its abdomen and tore out its beating heart. It fell to the ground in anguish and Anju tossed the heart deep into the forest.

"Anything else you want to throw at me today?" she shouted into the woods before she spat on the spider's corpse.

Unfortunately, her prayers were answered as hundreds of giant spiders began to appear around her. They watched her with their glowing yellow eyes, waiting to attack. Outnumbered, she was forced to run again.

The sickness caught up with her and she started to gasp for air, desperate to get away. Nausea shook her core as the spiders got closer and closer. Anger joined her desperation. She would not go out this way.

The Woodland Castle soon towered before her, and although she was exhausted she rolled her eyes. She was right back where she started. Either she would be devoured by spiders, or she would be back in Thranduil's clutches. With each step her choices got grimmer. Bile seeping up her throat, she decided to turn around and try and face the spiders.

They did not wait to attack. One by one they hurled their bodies at her, pushing her closer and closer to the castle. Claws raised, she fought back, tearing through the spider's flesh like a knife through butter. They screeched and retreated, another spider coming in quick to replace its comrade. The sickness churned deeper in her stomach. She wasn't going to be able to keep this up much longer.

Suddenly, a spider jumped at her from the side and crashed into her. Caught off guard, she lost her balance and fell of the edge of the cliff in front of the castle. She was consumed by the crisp water of the river instantly, giving her no time to scream. She surfaced with a growl, and the current began to carry her with it.

Anju was a good swimmer, but the push and pull of the rapids made a simple task almost impossible. She tried to float and get a paddle going, but the rapids were relentless and she was tossed back and forth between rocks. Thankfully, her head stayed above water and eventually she just let the current carry her, as painful of a journey as it was.

Finally, the waters calmed down and Anju could move freely. She tried to swim to shore, but the boulders stood tall, preventing her from leaving the river. Defeated, she floated on her back and waited for her fate. The river had to let out somewhere, a lake if she remembered correctly.

Unfortunately, a waterfall stood between her and the lake, but she didn't fight it. There was nothing she could do about it, and if she could relax her body there would be less chance of injury on the way down. She took a deep breath and peacefully gave into the waters will.

The free fall was terrifying, but she took her mind out of the moment by thinking of Mithrandir. He would have been furious if he saw her now. She laughed at this as she fell.

"Oh Mithrandir, how I miss you." She whispered into the wind.

The crash into the water was less painful than she expected, but sharp rocks waited below her. A piercing sensation exploded through her skull, and when she surfaced she found herself falling in and out of consciousness. The blackness kept coming back to take over her eyesight, but she fought back hard. If she blacked out she would drown. Thankfully, the river showed her mercy and washed her body up on shore.

"Hey!" a voice boomed from the distance.

Unfazed, she turned to cough water from her lungs. She was so beat up, she couldn't fight anymore. Laying on her back, she took slow, shallow breaths and looked wearily to the sky. Her eyelids grew heavy and closed, but not before she saw the shadow of a man above her.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm going to try and update as quickly as I can. Unfortunately I'm getting too many hours at work and I have to fix that, so until then it might take a few days in between each chapter. I apologize and I appreciate your patience. I also want to say that I'm disappointment that now that I said I wasn't going to be working on my John Bender fan fic that now people want to leave reviews and beg me to continue it. I don't have the inspiration to continue that story right now and I wish you would have left me reviews when I was working on it. I will get back to that story when I can. Anyways. Enjoy, and thank you for taking the time to read my work.**

Chapter Three:

Anju woke up in a daze. Her head felt so fuzzy she swore she was dreaming. She laid in a hard bed covered in tattered blankets, and a small lantern sat on the beat-up floor next to her. She sat up to see where she was and instantly regretted it. Her head seared with white hot pain and she fell back into the bed with a scream.

A young woman with brunette hair and hazel eyes came rushing into the room. Her dress was worn and her hands a little callused, but otherwise she looked quite beautiful and healthy. She put a hand on Anju's forehead and pressed gently before sighing with relief.

"You shouldn't get up yet. You're still hurt."

"Who are you?" Anju asked, her voice raspy from lack of water.

"My name is Sigrid." She said kindly, "Are you hungry?"

"No." Anju shook her head weakly, "Tell me where I am, please."

"You're in Lake Town. And you should eat anyways. It'll help you heal." Sigrid nodded and stood.

"Don't trouble yourself, girl, I won't be staying." Anju waved her off.

"Da wants you to stay here until you're better. He said he pulled you from the river. Shouldn't you at least stay to thank him?" she asked.

"My, aren't you wise for your age?" Anju smirked faintly.

"Thank you. Now just rest while I make you some soup. Da should be back shortly." Sigrid beamed and left the room.

Anju sighed and let her head fall back onto the pillow as she tried to assess the situation. The last thing she remembered was falling from the waterfall. She remembered nothing of being pulled from the river or arriving in Lake Town or anything about whoever this "Da" person was. She put a hand on her head in frustration and noticed that someone had bandaged it up. Sigrid or Da, probably, but how was she injured? A low growl escaped her lips as she gave up. Her head hurt too much to think anyways.

She didn't want to stay in bed though. She was filled with the desire to flee. All she wanted was to go home, to be able to lay low in peace again. Why was that so hard? Lake Town was no place for her, nowhere was, and she didn't want to be trapped with anyone anymore. She was a wolf, and wolves ran like the wind blew, freely and where ever it wanted. Slowly, Anju got out of the bed.

Her head still throbbed, but not nearly as bad as when she had first awoken. She had to use the walls for support, her body weak from her long slumber, but eventually she was able to reach the door. She grasped for the handle and turned it as hard as she could. She wasn't ready for the door to open so quickly, however, and she fell to the floor with a thud. Sigrid gasped as she watched her fall and rushed over to her.

"What did I tell you? You're still too weak!" she chastised her before screaming, "DA!"

"What is it?"

Someone stomped into the room, and when Anju looked up she saw it was a man. He was tall, with black hair and tan skin, cloaked in a coat made of buck skin. His features were worn, but he couldn't have been more than thirty-five. Anju was taken aback by his handsomeness, and she blushed in embarrassment.

"You've a lot of fight in you, don't you?" the man chuckled as he bent down to pick her up."

He carried her into the bedroom and gently laid her back down, brushing her hair out of her eyes so she could see. Anju swooned at his warmth.

"Are you Da?" she asked quietly. He laughed.

"Da is what my children call me. My name is Bard."

Anju smiled. She liked that name.

"You are man?"

"Aye…why do you ask?" he gave her an odd look.

"I've not been around the race of man much, and not for a long time…" she confessed.

"You are not human?" he asked and she shook her head, "What are you then?"

Anju hesitated. Bard seemed like a good enough person, but she wasn't comfortable trusting him just yet. People did not take kindly of her race, and those who did only did so to try and take advantage of her power.

"I can't tell you, but I can assure you that I'm no threat." She said as kindly as she could.

"Can you tell me what you were doing in the river then?" he changed the subject and she let out a quiet "ha".

"It's a long story."

"I've nothing but time." He grinned at her, obviously curious.

So, she told him of Thranduil and how he had captured her to marry his son, and about the orcs and the spiders who had attacked her, driving her into the river.

"The last thing I remember was the waterfall."

"Aye, that's when I found you. You cracked your skull pretty good on a rock and blacked out on shore. I thought you were dead." He explained.

"That explains a lot…" she sighed.

"You were out for a few days, but it looks like it's healing nicely. I don't expect it to take much longer." He said as he examined the bandages on her head.

"I need to leave now." She groaned.

"You need to eat and drink and regain your strength. You can't go anywhere like this." He said.

"But Thranduil-"

"I won't let him find you. You'll be safe hiding out here while you recover. I promise." He smiled.

Anju looked into his greying hazel eyes, searching for anything that might be alarming, but all she found was warmth, empathy and kindness. It confused her.

"Why are you being so nice?" she asked.

"There are enough cruel people in this world." He sighed, "I don't need to be one of them."

Anju looked to him and blushed, her body filling with warmth.

Sigrid appeared a moment later with a bowl full of hot soup and handed it to Bard. It was then that Anju snapped out of her infatuated daze. Bard was nothing more than a generous man. She could not let her guard down in front of him. Bard blew the soup lightly and looked to her.

"Do you need help eating?"

"I think I'll manage." She laughed.

"Right." He smiled and handed her the bowl, "It's just vegetables and broth I'm afraid. We've no coin for meat…"

"This is more than enough, really. Please don't trouble yourself. You already saved my life" she smiled and placed a hand on his.

He smiled back at her, and when she noticed what she had done she quickly retracted her hand and blushed. What had gotten into her? Bard noticed this and she swore she saw a slight blush in his cheeks as well.

"I'm going to let you rest now, it's getting late." He stood up and walked to the door, "Please don't try to leave again. At least…until you're better."

"I'll try." She nodded, "Thank you, Bard."

He nodded back and closed the door gently, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

She absentmindedly stirred her soup as she stared off into space. She wasn't hungry at all, and once the warmth from Bard left the room she was overwhelmed with the urge to flee again. She fought it back. She couldn't throw away Bard's kindness but just running away. Sighing, she took a small sip of the soup and set it on the floor before she laid down and forced herself to sleep.


End file.
